COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Efforts to improve child literacy in Ohio are getting a boost from a federal grant worth $42 million over five years.
The state Department of Education says the funding will help create "model literacy sites" implementing practices to improve literacy in preschools and elementary, middle and high schools across Ohio.
Officials say the state got an additional $1.2 million grant to support pilot programs at three elementary schools to help improve the literacy of young students who have dyslexia or are considered at risk for it.
The president of the state school board, Laura Kohler, said in a statement that literacy is an essential component of Ohio's strategic plan for education. She says the grants "support an aggressive agenda" to boost reading skills.